Drenched Northern California braces for more rain as storms parade through region

Drenched Northern California braces for more rain as storms parade through region

SAN FRANCISCO — Just as Northern California residents recovered from a series of wet, windy storms, another system on the way is expected to drench the area.

With rain expected to start falling in far Northern California overnight Tuesday, some areas could see up to 5 more inches of rain before the storm moves out, the National Weather Service said.

The rain could be especially heavy in areas north of Redding and across the Sierra Nevada, meteorologist Dan Keeton said.

Still, it should be nothing like the three previous downpours that dumped between 15 to 20 inches of rain in some areas over the five-day period that ended Sunday. Forecasters said the latest storm left the area faster than expected.

"It's going to be significant, but less impactful," Keeton said of the coming rain. "There will be some isolated impact in certain areas, but nothing as widespread compared to what we saw late last week. This was a down payment on our winter water supply accumulation."

Rain, wind, snow won't let go of Pacific Northwest

(CNN) -- A vicious mix of wind, rain and snow that has deluged the Pacific Northwest since Tuesday isn't letting up, spurring the National Weather Service to issue an array of cautionary guidance

Forecasters from the National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center expect that moderate to heavy precipitation will pummel the region through at least Sunday, with some areas getting more than 15 inches of rain and other getting socked with between 1 and 3 feet of snow.

The weather service has issued a hazardous seas warning for coastal areas in Oregon and northern California. Portions of coastal Washington, Oregon and California all face some sort of flood watch, warning, or advisory.

The threats won't necessarily go away once this wave of rain abates. Many rivers and creeks already are at, near or above flood stage, a situation that the added precipitation forecast through Sunday and perhaps beyond won't help.

US coastal cities in danger as sea levels rise faster than expected, study warns

Sea-level rise is occurring much faster than scientists expected – exposing millions more Americans to the destructive floods produced by future Sandy-like storms, new research suggests.

Satellite measurements over the last two decades found global sea levels rising 60% faster than the computer projections issued only a few years ago by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The faster sea-level rise means the authorities will have to take even more ambitious measures to protect low-lying population centres – such as New York City, Los Angeles or Jacksonville, Florida – or risk exposing millions more people to a destructive combination of storm surges on top of sea-level rise, scientists said.

Scientists earlier this year found sea-level rise had already doubled the annual risk of historic flooding across a widespread area of the United States.

The latest research, published on Wednesday in Environmental Research Letters, found global sea-levels rising at a rate of 3.2mm a year, compared to the best estimates by the IPCC of 2mm a year, or 60% faster.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/28/us-coastal-cities-sea-level-rise

UK Weather: Elderly Woman Found Dead In Flooded Home In North Wales

A body has been pulled from a flooded home after a river reached record levels and burst its banks.

The elderly woman was found dead in the beleaguered Welsh city of St Asaph where hundreds of people have been urged to flee their water-logged homes.

Her body was discovered at midday after the River Elwy surged through flood defences as the wet weather continued to wreak havoc across the country.

Next of kin have been informed, North Wales Police said.

A spokesman said: "North Wales Police can confirm that the body of an elderly woman has been recovered from a flooded property in Tair Felin, St Asaph, Denbighshire.

"Local officers from the emergency services who were conducting house to house checks discovered the body of the woman at noon today."

Officers said there were no suspicious circumstances and have launched an investigation into her death, which is being treated as unexplained.

Another three people have died since the latest bout of wet weather struck.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/11/27/uk-weather-woman-dead_n_2197518.html

FEMA's answer for NY storm victims: Put 'em back in their homes

New York (CNN) -- In the aftermath of one of the worst weather systems to hit the Northeast, finding adequate shelter is the big concern.

What to do with displaced residents, whose homes were rendered dark, cold and powerless by Superstorm Sandy, is now the question plaguing emergency management officials across the Tri-State area.

FEMA's answer for New York: Fix up the homes as best they can and put people back in them.

Faced with a lack of physical space for FEMA trailers and limited access to available rental apartments and hotels, FEMA officials in New York said they are bent on making flood-soaked homes inhabitable as winter weather moves in.

Jersey City takes 1-2 punch

"New York is a unique housing environment," said Michael Byrne, federal coordinating officer for FEMA, on Wednesday. "We had to come up with something."

The agency's typical approach to disaster relief, such as the widespread use of emergency trailers for displaced residents and long-term rental assistance, doesn't work as well in the Big Apple.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/14/us/sandy-aftermath/index.html?iref=allsearch

Obama reassures Sandy victims in tour of Staten Island devastation

Barack Obama visited Sandy-ravaged parts of New York City on Thursday to survey the damage and promise that his administration would "stay here as long as people need help".

The president was given a helicopter tour of the worst-affected parts of the city, flying over the Rockaway penninsula in Queens before landing on Staten Island to meet those impacted by the storm.

"I'm very proud of you, New York. You're tough," Obama said in a brief address in the New Dorp area on Staten Island.

Some 43 people died in New York City as a result of hurricane Sandy, half of those on Staten Island. Many are still without power in the borough. Obama visited New Jersey on 31 October, meeting with governor Chris Christie to view the damage.

"We Americans are going to stand with each other in our hour of need," Obama said.

"People still need emergency help, they still need heat, they still need food. We're going to make sure we stay here as long as people need help."

It is more than two weeks since hurricane Sandy hit the north-east coast of America, but many residents in Staten Island are still unable to return to their homes.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/15/obama-sandy-victims-staten-island

Nor'easter Evacuations for Some New York, New Jersey Residents

A week after superstorm Sandy caused massive damage and power outages, some New York and New Jersey residents were evacuated ahead of a nor'easter that was expected to bring high winds and rain to the region More than 620 nursing home residents in New York City's storm-battered Rockaways section were evacuated Tuesday.In New Jersey, winds were kicking up early Wednesday morning, prompting some coastline communities to order mandatory evacuations.In Rockaway Park, N.Y., after a week spent cleaning up from Sandy, Regina McManus said she had to shut down the generator she'd been living off to to protect it from the elements."[I'm] tired, exhausted," she told ABC News today. "But, hey, what am I gonna do? This is life."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/noreaster-evacuations-york-jersey-residents/story?id=17662588#.UJsnPOOe-Do

116 flights canceled at O’Hare as new storm hits Northeast

United Airlines has canceled 269 flights as a result of a Nor'easter poised to hit the East Coast. The same storm also caused more than 100 flights at O'Hare International Airport to be canceled Wednesday.

Chicago-based United said it would suspend most service to and from the New York and Philadelphia areas between noon Wednesday and noon Thursday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, United was the most-affected airline, canceling 269 flights, according to FlightStats.com. That's followed by 251 canceled flights by ExpressJet, 146 by American Eagle and 140 by American Airlines.

The three major New York-area airports and Philadelphia International were most affected, but fifth on the list was O'Hare, with 116 cancellations, according to FlightStats data.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-noreaster-wary-united-cancels-269-flights-116-at-ohare-20121107,0,6698320.story

How Global Warming Made Hurricane Sandy Worse

How Global Warming Made Hurricane Sandy Worse

Scientists cannot yet answer the specific question of whether climate change made Hurricane Sandy more likely to occur, since such studies, known as detection and attribution research, take many months to complete. What is already clear, however, is that climate change very likely made Sandy’s impacts worse than they otherwise would have been.

There are three different ways climate change might have influenced Sandy: through the effects of sea level rise; through abnormally warm sea surface temperatures; and possibly through an unusual weather pattern that some scientists think bore the fingerprint of rapidly disappearing Arctic sea ice.

If this were a criminal case, detectives would be treating global warming as a likely accomplice in the crime.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/how-global-warming-made-hurricane-sandy-worse-15190

New York City Marathon Canceled: City Reverses Decision On Race After Hurricane, Outrage Over Plans

Following the outrage incited by the decision to move forward with the New York City Marathon in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, organizers announced the 2012 race has been canceled. A tweet from the mayor's office confirmed:

NYC Mayor's Office

• ✔

@NYCMayorsOffice

We have decided to cancel the NYC marathon. The New York Road Runners will have additional information in days ahead for participants.

2 Nov 12

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And here's the statement from Bloomberg's office, via Gothamist:

The Marathon has been an integral part of New York City’s life for 40 years and is an event tens of thousands of New Yorkers participate in and millions more watch. While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division. The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination. We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it.

We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event - even one as meaningful as this - to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track. The New York Road Runners will have additional information in the days ahead for participants.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/02/new-york-city-marathon-canceled-hurricane_n_2066652.html

Wednesday and Thursday to yield high temperatures to near record territory

Weather highlights today through the middle of next week includes the possibility of a rare late season 80 degree high temp today, near record warmth Thursday followed bythunderstorms Thursday night into Friday, and a major league cool down which promises to bring the coolest air mass of the season Friday through the middle of next week.

It's a rare occurrence for an 80 degree day to be recorded this late in the year. In 142 years of record keeping, Chicago has only amassed a total of eight 80 degree days beyond October 23. Strong thermal ridging coupled with abundant sunlight, a southerly wind flow, and strong heating efficiency this afternoon could very well result in the possibility of such an event to occur. If we hit the 80 degree mark this afternoon, it would be the area's first 80 in over 5 weeks, since September 12 and would bring Chicago one day shy of the all-time record of the most 80 degree days in a season which is 103 set back in 1988. Regardless of whether we peak in the upper 70s or lower 80s this afternoon, Chicago will come within striking distance of the record of 83 degrees set back in 1963.

http://www.examiner.com/article/wednesday-and-thursday-to-yield-high-temperatures-to-near-record-territory

Bahamas braces for Hurricane Sandy

Sandy sets its sights on the Bahamas

(CNN) -- Given their geography, Bahamians know a thing or two about hurricanes.

As Hurricane Sandy began to blow through the Bahamas after pummeling eastern Cuba, Nassau resident Stephan Rolle wasn't overly worried.

It is a "small storm" with "mediocre wind," he said of the Category 2 hurricane with winds of 105 mph.

But as the center of the storm churned 125 miles east-southeast of Nassau on Thursday, Rolle and others also knew they had to prepare.

Rolle, 29, waited for 40 minutes in line at a grocery store to purchase nonperishable goods and bread. He moved the potted plants and emptied part of his family's pool to make room for the rainwater.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/25/world/americas/tropical-weather-sandy/index.html

Fall weather brings early chill

The calendar may say early October, but Monday’s cold, rainy weather felt more like late fall or even early winter. The chill had some Triangle residents turning on their heat for the first time this season. N.C. State Fair officials, meanwhile, hoped for better weather by the fair’s Thursday afternoon opening.

Is fall here to stay? Likely, WTVD meteorologist Scott Dean said. Temperatures are expected to stay on the low side through the week, but they will get warmer than Monday’s high of 52 degrees. Temperatures are expected to reach the 60s Tuesday.

What about the rain? It should begin drying up Tuesday. “The pattern will relax a little bit,” Dean said. “Sunshine returns Wednesday and continues the rest of the week.”

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/10/08/2399955/the-chill-of-early-fall.html

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/10/08/2399955/the-chill-of-early-fall.html#storylink=cpy

The Weather Channel decides to name winter storms

The Weather Channel decides to name winter storms

In an effort to raise awareness of winter storms that impact portions of the United States, The Weather Channel, which provides 24 hour coverage of weather information and weather-related shows, decided that they will begin to name winter storms that develop for the 2012-2013 season.

The Weather Channel states that not only will naming a winter storm will raise awareness, but it will make it simpler to hashtag so everyone can communicate it through social media, and it would be easier to remember if we choose to look at that storm’s history in the future. Naming of winter storms is a practicing procedure in Europe, but this new system has never occurred in the United States. I do believe there is a lot of good in naming a system, but I and many other meteorologists find a few flaws in this naming system that the Weather Channel has decided to begin using for this upcoming winter. Will this new system work? What do other meteorologists think?

http://earthsky.org/earth/the-weather-channel-decides-to-name-winter-storms